Feds Say the Walrus Is Endangered–but They Won’t Do Anything About It

The drastic changes in the Arctic wrought by global warming aren't just threatening that icon of climate change the polar bear, they're also jeopardizing the health of other species--like the Pacific walrus. Environmentalists petitioned the federal government years ago to add the walrus to the endangered species list, but progress on the case has been slow. Now, in a decision that has angered both activists and oil drillers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has decided that even though our be-blubbered friends deserve recognition under the Endangered Species Act, there are just too many other endangered animals to take care of first. Specifically, the organization's spokesman, Bruce Woods, said that protecting walruses was advised but "precluded." That's because other animals, like polar bears and certain species of sea birds, are more imperiled in this world of receding ice. The agency also said it's hampered by lack of firm data on walrus population numbers.